Chronic Wasting Disease Spreading in the US

December 28, 2023 Sara N 3 min read

Scientists in the US are raising alarms on the possible human-to-animal transmission of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). Animals with this disease, sometimes referred to as “Zombie Deer Disease,” slobber and behave strangely. It was discovered for the first time in November in Yellowstone National Park, when samples from 800 elk, moose, and deer in Wyoming tested positive.

Experts are referring to Chronic Wasting Disease as a “slow-moving disaster” and urged governments to prepare for the likelihood that it may impact people. There have been reports of CWD in 31 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Researchers studying CWD, likening it to the British epidemic of mad cow disease, emphasized the importance of readiness despite the lack of certainty around CWD’s ability to spread to people.

The challenge with Chronic Wasting Disease is that there’s no known way to get rid of it in infected animals or the environment. While no human cases have been reported by Fox News, studies suggest monkeys might get infected by eating tainted meat or coming into contact with infected animal fluids or brains.

In line with the World Health Organization’s advice to keep prion diseases like Chronic Wasting Disease out of the human food chain, the CDC website highlights the possible risk to people.

A lethal disease known as “Zombie Deer Disease” affects deer, moose, and elk. It is brought on by a deformed protein known as a prion that accumulates in the brain and tissues, changing behavior, causing loss of weight, and ultimately resulting in death. Animals can contract the disease directly from one another or indirectly through feces, plants, or soil. Contaminated food or pasture can also lead to infection.

Symptoms in deer may take over a year to show and include rapid weight loss, stumbling, and loss of energy. Currently, there’s no cure or vaccine for Chronic Wasting Disease.

The places where the disease has been reported to spread are given below: